solar thermal

This article will gather some data about TEC community views on the global average internalized cost of solar thermal energy. Please add your opinion so we can gather a statistically significant sample and get a meaningful indication of the consensus (or lack thereof).[read more]

I’m a big fan of reporter Mike Grunwald, and often think that he and Breakthrough are among the only people who really understand that Obama’s signature climate policies are not fuel economy standards or power plant regulations, but the tens of billions invested in clean energy technology and innovation.[read more]

Ask an expert on clean tech what the largest barriers to a low carbon energy future are, and chances are they will list higher technology costs, policy barriers, or the need for new infrastructure to accommodate novel energy sources.[read more]

One of the knocks against renewable energy has been that, unlike coal, natural gas and nuclear energy, it is intermittent. Solar and wind power can’t be relied upon when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. SolarReserve, a well-financed California startup that can store energy from the sun, wants to change that....[read more]

A common lament of those analysts wishing to get to grips with the real-world performance of solar thermal power plants has been, well… an absence of data. Trainer noted, in ‘Solar Thermal Questions‘: It would be great to get some actual data on their year round performance. I have found it fiendishly difficult to get such data out of...[read more]

BrightSource Energy, Inc. a utility-scale solar developer, has filed a US$250 million initial public offering (IPO).The California-based solar thermal developer has several intriguing qualities; however, these are saddled along with a few areas of concern. BrightSource sports a significant list of powerful investors and...[read more]

Two large solar plants were approved Tuesday for construction on federal lands. Department of Interior (DOI) post. See analysis of the proposed plants below the position statements.Position Statements:1. Solar thermal is more cost effective than PV solar.2. Construction per kW is extremely high while operating expenses are...[read more]

photo: California Energy Commission In Friday’s New York Times, I wrote about California regulators’ licensing of a 1,000-megawatt solar thermal power plant, which would be the world’s largest solar energy complex: California regulators have licensed what is for the moment the world’s largest solar thermal power plant, a 1,000-megawatt...[read more]

China is building an ambitious “Solar Valley City” as a new national
center for manufacturing, research and development, education, and
tourism around solar energy technologies. as part of the Chinese
government and industry’s efforts to promote clean energy technology
and grow the nation’s global market share (see video below beginning...[read more]

The US Department of Energy granted a US$1.37 billion loan guarantee to Brightsource Energy two weeks ago which could help clear the way for over 15 gigawatts of solar thermal power projects in California. Brightsource built a pilot plant in Israel to prove their technology and has tested it over the past 18 months. Their flagship...[read more]

As this blog recently reminded its readers Google has invested in two solar thermal companies, eSolar and BrightSource. Reuters reporter Poornima Gupta (with editing by Toni Reinhold) now informs the Carbon Market Community about the status of a prototype mirror. Google.org Bill Weihl expects the solar energy product ready in one to...[read more]

Dave Roberts has a post at Grist outlining his take on the debate about building large power plants on sensitive land — specifically a solar thermal power plant in the Mojave desert - Taking distributed energy seriously.
Many folks are conflicted over the seeming clash between conserving America’s remaining wild landscapes and expanding...[read more]

There have been a number of alternative energy announcements coincident with COP15. A Treehugger from Ottawa, Canada Michael Richard Graham reports on announcement from the World Bank.
Photo: Sandia National Laboratory, Public domain
MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) is one of the principle regions around the globe that benefits...[read more]

Photo: Ausra
Ausra has become the latest credit-crunched solar startup to seek a buyer/investor to bankroll its expansion. As I write Tuesday in The New York Times:
Disrupting trillion-dollar energy markets is expensive, as solar companies like OptiSolar and Solel have found. Both sold out to larger, deep-pocketed companies this year....[read more]

Cleantech.com has a post on efforts to bring solar thermal power technology to Africa - eSolar takes solar thermal to Sub-Saharan Africa.Pasadena, Calif.-based eSolar said today its signed a deal with Johannesburg-based Clean Energy Solutions to sell and market the startup's solar thermal power plants in Sub-Saharan Africa.The deal gives...[read more]